Jimmy Lane: Songs to sweeten your summertime

Chances are you are planning your summer vacation or a quick trip to the beach to cool off. We love our backyard barbecues, going to baseball games and being out of school.

Bring along a boombox to listen to the radio or make a mix tape with some great summer songs. There are a lot to choose from.

Kenny Chesney makes no excuses for loving the season of flip flops, cold drinks and bathing suits. For the past five summers, he charted a song about the hottest season: “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” in 2003, “When the Sun Goes Down” in 2004, “Anything But Mine” in 2005, “Summertime” in 2006 and “Flip Flop Summer” in 2007. Faith Hill’s “Sunshine and Summertime” should also get you in the mood for Classic Coke and ice-cold Coronas.

We’ve had songs about summer as long as we’ve had country music. Some of the best include “Six Pack Summer” by Phil Vassar, “Summer’s Comin’ ” by Clint Black, “That Summer” by Garth Brooks and “Summertime Blues” by Alan Jackson.

The newest entry is from “American Idol” finalist Carmen Rasmusen, who is climbing the country charts and getting a lot of video play for her single “Nothin’ Like the Summer.”

On a hot day, the best thing you can do is grab your radio and chill out by the pool to some great country songs about our favorite season.

Country tidbits: ABC has announced Miranda Lambert is one of three industry pros who will decide which of the six hopefuls on ABC’s “Six Degrees of Martina McBride” will achieve their dream of a shot at country music stardom. Lambert will join Ray Benson, the frontman and only surviving founder of the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, and Beverly Keel, columnist for The Tennessean and Nashville correspondent for People magazine, on the two-hour special set to air Monday. ... This weekend, Tim McGraw opened a greeting card and heard himself. Hallmark introduced three new cards that play McGraw songs when opened, and the superstar got his first look at them Saturday. The cards were launched during an event at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, preceding Tim’s concert at nearby Phillips Arena. The cards will be available at Hallmark stores and at www.hallmark.com. The tunes featured are “I Like It, I Love It,” “Down on the Farm” and “Just to See You Smile.” Previous hits in the “Cards With Sound” series include Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” The Judds’ “Girls Night Out” and Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry.”

Community groups

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Sudbury Town Crier ~ 33 New York Ave., Framingham MA 01701 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service